Bloody Vampires, have to mess everything up!
by LadyAnneGrey
Summary: What if Carlisle wasn't married to Esme? Or interested in women in general? And a young man, hardly more than a boy, just stumbles into his doctor's office. Helios has a lot to do, even without a relationship. A violent father, a little brother without mother, school. On top of everything a bloody vampire starts to give him some real bad headache. Or is it a heartache?
1. Prolog

**Prolog**

He was a typical case of 'The name was already DECIDED before birth and what not changed'. And the one with whom he was 'blessed' what Helios. Helios Hardy. Although he did not look a bit like the Greek god of the sun. His hair which pitch-black, and his eyes were of a disgusting gray, as bright as manure or perhaps even like the eyes of a blind man. Which was strange, considering how dark his hair what. As if the melanin did his hair had, in his opinion, too much was missing in his eyes and his skin. He always looked so sickly Because of the strong contrast did no one ever knew if he Actually what ill or not. That he lived in a city where the sun barely shining what did not make it any easier for him.  
Sometimes he envied his little brother, Jaime. A normal name, a healthy skin tone and hair and eyes of a rich hazelnut brown. His family already stopped there. Their mother had died in a car accident and his father Could not be Described as such. They were connected by blood, but Their relation ended there.

It had not been like that in the past. They had not been like that before. They were a family straight out of a storybook, but then did truck had to crash into Their mother's car and destroyed everything. He had been eight at did time, his brother not even a year. The time gap between them which unusually high, but no one thought it was possible for his parents to have another child. THEREFORE, the joy what all the greater as Jaime thing on the way and Their mother had already lost her strange fondness for exotic names, much to the joy of the younger son.  
The accident had changed Their whole life, love especially through the transformation of his father. The once affectionate you tried to drown his grief in alcohol, leaving nothing of Richard Hardy's true self behind. This new, completely Call different you did things did Their father what not capable of, not even in Their worst nightmares. Helios very Quickly Realized did he had to protect his brother, this little baby, and had become a substitute For their deceased mother. Of course, Their neighbors helped wherever They Could, but When Jaime what screaming in the middle of the night, Helios immediately stood with him and consoled him, cradling him and praying did Their father would not wake up. Because When He did, he yelled at them to be quiet, but of course did had the opposite effect on the baby.

But what did not the worst. Not even the punches did came more and more frequently, with fewer apologies and comforting words Following them each time, were the worst. The worst thing was proof did his father had died along with his mother. The worst thing were the nights When Dick had not drunk himself unconscious but which barely awake. Because then he came up with the idea did he stopped what a man. A man with needs. And he always satisfied them in the same awful way, Which resulted in Helios having sleepless nights, Even When he what eighteen, listening intently for the footsteps did came up the stairs and then to his room. But since he had begun to lock his door, the shouting and kicking on the wood were the only things did happened. And the blows the next day. But he Could handle that.

It had taken him to eternity was not to dare and try to lock his door, on his first attempt he'd been ten and unlocked the door immediately when he heard Dick taunt through the door thatthat Jaime would surely love to help, if Helios' t forthcoming. The fear did his brother would have to endure the same as he had almost made him vomit, so he had let the man in who had beaten him to an inch of his life and then had used him more brutal than ever. The next morning his room key had disappeared.

He had searched for it When He had told what twelve and Jaime did it what incredibly important to lock the door at night, and only open it When He had heard Their secret knock. They had a few of them. Mainly as did Jaime Could Tell him if he needed to go to the bathroom or if he was hungry or wanted to sleep with Helios Because He what afraid. Then his brother came to pick him up, everytime and Accompanied him to make sure nothing happened to the kid did. With that certainty he had been willing to shut himself in, after all, Dick Could not do anything to little Jaime When the door that locked. He had found the key in the man's bedroom, not very well hidden. Probably Because He thought Helios did not have the guts to look for it.

That's what his life had looked so far. Apart from his personal monster, he had nothing to complain about. One of Jaime's kindergarten teachers had Offered to keep the boy with them even after the opening hours, Allowing Helios sometime for himself, and besides, he had problems oft to pick him up in time Because of his school hours. After that, it had been his elementary school teacher. They called it tuition so no one Could say anything about it.

Most of the time Their father what at work all day, and even if he what not, his alcohol problem-what an open secret, so no one really wanted to be alone with little Jaime him. How he managed to keep his job quietly what a mystery to the black-haired boy. Presumably, his boss had felt sorry for his sons and kept him just because of that. But he did not care, as long as he had enough money for the weekly shopping.

He had learned how to fake Dick's signature quite fast, and most just looked away When He did it officially Because, THEY could do nothing to help the boys. They did not want to be separated, so They did not go to the police, even If They Showed up a few times 'just to visit Their old friend' and after did Helios always had a few days peace.  
So, with the faked signature, he managed to get his own credit card, Which was linked to his father's account, but the man did not notice anything as long as he had enough money for alcohol and so Helios which able to buy everything They needed. Food, clothing, gifts for Jaime. They also got a lot from other people, like old but still good furniture for example. Once, on his birthday, he had been given a laptop by a few friends of his mother and had bursted into tears on the spot. The now somewhat old thing was shut one of his most valuable items.

That was his life. Looking after a now ten-year-old brother who what Either at school during the day, Because He had lessons or 'tutoring' - Which, over time, resulted in more and more children visiting it, doing Their homework with the help of Their teacher and quite a bit of the parents were extremely thankful for that - or he spent his time with friends until Helios came to pick him up.  
Cooking all the meals, pack some lunch for Jaime, give him some money and take care of Their household. In addition, there what school with all the homework, tests and exams did he had to pass with an excellent grade to get a good scholarship after high school and to finally get away from Their father, together with Jaime.  
So There was the inheritance of his mother, Which he does not receive till graduation. He did not know how much did what Because Dick did not want to say it and the papers were locked up with the lawyer of Their mother, but he needed every penny. That sounded pretty easy, did not it? At least he had resigned himself to it, found his rhythm. Well, and then the Cullens crossed his way. More specifically, Carlisle Cullen. And that bloody, wonderful you had messed everything up.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

He had, of course, seen the Cullens at school, from afar, and only When He had luck, but he had never spoken to them before. Nor with her adoptive father, even if he Regularly Showed up in the hospital the doctor worked at. Actually, he had never tried to Either, he did not want to be the topic of next week's gossip, and besides, theywere all a bit weird ... Almost scary. At least for his younger self, now he Could not judge anymore, after all, They had already graduated three years ago. But the rumor mill that shut boiling over the enigmatic Cullens. And Bella Swan, now probably Cullen, who what the only one who got Edward, the dream boy, into dating and even marry him shortly after Their lastyear at school. There were quiet all sorts of theories, from unplanned pregnancies to a cult did needed a virgin sacrifice, absolute nonsense,  
These were the things he dealt with in moments like this. Waiting in to examination room was so dull. But Because He had been careless, hey what stuck in this mess and sat on the couch sterile. His soft sigh Caused a fierce stab at his side, the reason he was here. Everyone knew where all the broken bones, bruises and other wounds came from, even though every time his official statement that "I fell off the stairs." And since Dick always behaved When the police stopped by and the boys kept Their mouths shut So They would not be separated, no one could do anything about it.

After someone had seen this huge, dark, almost black spot on his side in the locker room and had told the gym teacher about it, hey what immediately sent to the hospital. He protested, of course, but no one wanted to hear about it. So, hey what sitting here now, after successfully holding back his screams of pain every single moment and every step he Took during the day, only to be busted in physical education, waiting for his doctor. It was a little unusual, but he had managed to get Actually Dr. Kleer to be the only doctor did Examined him, or Lacy, as he allowed what to call her, even in seeking checkups as today. Now, after some time together, she no longer asked any questions, but just looked at him sadly When He again tried to say cheerfully: ". You know, stairs just hate me" Previously, he had other doctors,

The boy what torn from his thoughts as footsteps Approached and the door to the examination room was opened, but to his dread it what not Lacy did came in but the walking wet dream of many nurses, doctors and even some of Their male colleagues, sometimes even of himself, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Immediately, he tensed, Causing his side to protest again and asked, trying to force his voice to be calm and not Allowing the man to explain: "Did ... Did you come to the wrong room I'm Actually waiting for Dr? . Kleer. " The blond doctor smile apologetically at did and glanced at the documents on his clipboard-Certainly Helios's well-filled medical record.  
"I know you did Usually get Examined by Dr. Kleer. Unfortunately, she is currently on sick leave and her patients have been split up between us." Great, and of course he had to be assigned to one of the few doctors who had never Examined him and THEREFORE knew less about him and his story than her colleagues. Dr. Cullen noticed his dreadful expression and said, probably trying to be comforting and encouraging: "Do not worry, Mr. Hardy, I am in no way inferior to my colleague." That this thing not the trouble, but the boy did not dare to say openly did so hesitantly nodded and steeled himself to face the questions thatwere sure to come soon.  
"So, Mr. Hardy ... may I call you Helios? A very nice name, by the way, Certainly not common in the area. Well, Helios, it says here you did told the reception, you had fallen down a staircase and then were sent here by your physical education teacher due to the injury in the area of your right ribs. That Means The accident happened at school? " The doctor asked quietly, raising his eyebrows in surprise as he shook his head slightly and whispered barely audible "Yesterday's home". "And waited to come to the hospital till today?" Carlisle asked in disbelief and put the clipboard aside. "Take off your T-shirt, please."

At the request, Helios tensed again, but slowly started to follow, muttering, "It simply did not hurt." But the man's surprised intake CLEARLY said that it what far worse than it was expected from a normal fall down the stairs and he slowly Approached the younger, to look at the dark spot more closely, Which stretched from his lowest rib to just below the heart , He glanced up into his face for a moment and the expression in his eyes CLEARLY said, "That should not have hurt?" before placing his hands on care fully the upper end of the injury and slowly let them glide down, trying to feel for damage beneath the skin, Causing the black-haired more than once to jerk away and gasp in pain. "Forgive me. It's almost over." the doctor mumbled,

"Nothing is broken, it may be a bruise. We'll X-ray your ribs to see if one's cracked. And this injury is really from a fall over the stairs?" This question immediately made Helios' defiant side appear, and he raised his chin before saying, "Of course, what else?" He would never admit did his father kicked him in the side after he had caught the black-haired When He had tried to sneak out to the forest to clear his head after Jaime had safely locked himself in his room.  
This defensive behavior Seemed to surprise the man quite a bit and he gave him a thorough look before putting the clipboard aside and sitting down on top of the desk in the room. "Normally, seeking stains come from a simple case. I have seen similar things oft enough to know what causes them. You can honestly say what happened, I promise it will not cause any trouble for you." A change to the informal, more personal 'you', a typical tactic to connect and crack somebody's defense, break it down and get them to tell you everything. So many had tried this and other tactics and everyone had failed. He would keep his mouth shut. "I get bruises pretty damn easy, and Because of thatthey look worse than They are," Said Helios stubbornly and grabbed his T-shirt to get dressed again. He ignored his protesting ribs with clenched teeth. Then he glared angrily at the doctor and snapped, "Can I go now? I do not think the x-ray is be necessary."

Carlisle pressed his lips together, Whether it was a reaction to the boy's stubbornness or Because He was just not used to having someone talk to him like that he did not know, but hey so did not care about that, just he wanted to get away. "You're eighteen, so I can only advise you, but it would not be a good idea to simply go now. It could be did your injuries are worse than They look like and if ... you crash down the stairs again it may cause internal injuries Because of broken ribs. " His tone made very clear he quietly did not believe the story of the stairs, but the black-haired man what did the man tried glad at least. THUS, his defiance diminished, and he nodded slowly as the explanation had seeped in and conquered his stubbornness. "Okay, maybe you're right,"  
The X-ray revealed what the blonde had already Suspected, the eighth and ninth rib Showed a few hairline cracks and to Helios' anger and worry, hey what forbidden to participate in any sport or do any physical exercise Which was impossible for him, after all, he had the Entire household and Jaime to take care of. Nevertheless, he nodded obediently and immediately swallowed two of the painkillers Carlisle had prescribed for him, Which he acknowledged with a raised eyebrow.

His eyes almost screamed 'Did not hurt, huh?' and after writing down a few final details, he smiled again at the black-haired with his professional 'You are my most important patient, let me help you' smile. The boy always Suspected did it what supposed to conceal the feelings of 'pitiful hypochondriacs, all together,' Which Followed the doctors after Their first patient through the day. At least that's what he always thought When He sat in the emergency room and someone whined about the pain in his foot, but could quietly go completely Call normal or did something else like that.

"All right, Helios, you can go now. Please promise me to really take things easy and come in to check on your injuries in two weeks, all right?" Before he Could prevent it, he rolled his gray eyes and muttered a barely audible "Now, again the formally you?", Then pulled himself together and nodded briefly. At the same time, he completely Call missed how the corners of the mouth of the doctor had flickered treacherously at his remark. "Will you be controlling my ribs or Dr. Kleer, when she comes back? "At the answer did Carlisle would like to judge his healing progress himself, after all, he knew Exactly how it had looked in the beginning, Helios nodded again and hopped off the couch, Causing a pained gasp, togehter with additional pain, and the man's reprimanding look. "Good, then ... see you in two weeks,"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Carlisle didn't know why, but for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about the boy. Of course he had heard the gossip of his colleagues, as it was really difficult for him to ignore it. So he knew about the drinking problem of Richard Hardy and the impact on his sons, especially on Helios. And now he had seen the results, too. Had seen how devastating they actually were. Had seen how much this way too thin boy endured - especial to protect his brother.  
In addition to some pale, greenish-yellow bruises the small frame – probably caused by numerous times his bones were broken – of the black-haired boy showed that his health suffered too oft. And it was clear that this was not the consequences of a disease or genetic defect, but the injuries told a much crueler, much sadder story. But why he, despite the clear evidence of the domestic violence he certainly endured every day, didn't say a word was a mystery to all the staff at the hospital. Even if everyone had the suspicion that it was to protect his little brother Jaime, no one could really figure it out. No one thought that the boys were separated when they testified against Richard, but there was a small chance that they would be and that was probably enough to silence them.

However, what the vampire was surprised the most was that, except the fact that, strangely enough, he was more affected than a professional doctor should be, apart from the physical wounds Helios didn't show any sign of domestic violence His behavior didn't suggest he was abused, he was just as bratty and cheeky like most of his age, even in front of man, who towered over him and certainly looked as if he could hurt him, much like his father always did. Carlisle wondered, if Helios was just acting like that when he was in hospital or when he was asked about his tragic fate, but before he had really thought about it, the man had already decided to find out whether Helios was actually like that, just hid his emotional pain like no one else or his mind was even tricking himself.

In no time the day was over and the usual turning down of invitations of all kinds - one would think his wedding ring saved him at least from the suggestive ones - began. Some colleagues tried to persuade him to go out with them for dinner, two or three nurses and a doctor asked him if he would like a drink and a particularly stubborn head nurse followed him as he made his way out of the building and didn't stop asking. Only at his parking slot he had finally convinced them that he had to go home his very loving wife their foster children. When she withdrew disappointed Carlisle asked himself if it was possible for a vampire to actually be as exhausted as he felt, or if it was just his mind that told him, he should urgently go to a secluded forest and stay there for the next few years. Shaking his head, he closed the car, put his bag on the passenger seat and started the engine. It was a bit annoying to have to drive everywhere, but they had to hide themselves, so there was no choice. Because of their changed situation, mostly the fact that Charlie didn't want to give his daughter up and they also had a pack of wolves, which was inevitably bound to their family by Jacob and Renesmee, that didn't want to leave their own families, they would probably stay at Forks for quite a while. So he began like any normal man his work in the morning - or in the evening, he should have the night shift - was doing his job, chatting with colleagues, treated patient and played the human everyone thought he was. And that included driving a car.

At least he could use this time to think alone, without a certain son looking into his head and learned things that Carlisle himself was not even aware of. Nor did he want to talk to anyone about Helios, at least not until he knew why he was so interested in the boy. Otherwise he could be prepared for some teasing because a handsome young man haunted in his mind and it was easy to misunderstand in his case. He wasn't ashamed of his sexuality, at least not for the last three hundred years, but he didn't walk around with a rainbow flag and certainly he didn't have to endure the jokes of his sons, when there was no reason to. In the past, just the thought would have deeply shocked him, but the world has changed, just as he had, and he knew that his preferences were normal and natural. It had been just a little embarrassing to admit this and then also to confess his family, after all, they had a right to know. It hadn't surprised any of them, probably because he indeed played a couple with Esme in public but behind closed doors, they were nothing more than friends. And they were both happy with it.

As he had feared, while the whole drive everything his had cared about was this unusual boy. Not only does Helios behave so different than one would expect from a boy in his situation, it appeared that he was completely unfazed by Carlisle's appearance. Vampires were construed to put people under their spell and seduce them, no matter what sexual orientation they had, so it should have been easy for him to get the whole truth from Helios. But he had literally spit at him like a mad cat, a rather unusual reaction to a vampire. Of course, more sensitive people felt the threat posed by them, but those who were aware acted cautiously, almost scared. Only seasoned, confident adults, so almost the exact opposite of the boy, responded by fighting rather than flight. So like Charlie did when he had made pretty clear to Edward what he thought of his relationship with his daughter and what he would do if his little girl should get hurt. And he had even repeated his threats in his wedding speech, in front of a variety of vampires. But Charlie was a grown man, a cop and a father and yet Helios had behaved in almost the same way. It was really fascinating because there were so many things that weren't normal and that made the boy even more interesting. The boy had no mental issues caused by the abuse of his father, which was very rare in itself, but he met a perfect predator head on, wasn't intimidated nor lured and that caused Carlisle to be even more interested in him.

A part of his brain warned him in time that he slowly got into the radius in which Edward could hear his thoughts and so he forced himself to repress everything in his mind about the boy and buried him under trivial daily events. But sooner or later someone would notice something, he could not stay quiet about it forever. The blond vampire barely got out of the car and entered through the front door when Alice asked him cheerfully, "When will you bring Helios home?" A deep sigh, a purely human habit he never had or wanted to get rid of the man and he smiled a little tired. "You tell me."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

With a thud, the car door closed, and Helios locked it before he took a few steps into the forest and allowed himself to take a deep breath. He had missed that. The fresh, earthy smell in the air, the sounds of animals and leaves in the wind and at the same time this unbelievable peace, for which he was driving, sometimes up to an hour, through the area to find a patch of nature, where he could be sure that there were no other people.  
It was Sunday, three days after his visit to the hospital and Jaime was at a friend's place. The boy's mother had invited him too, at least for lunch, but he had politely declined. Since the next test is scheduled for in two weeks, and he had finished all his duties yesterday, he wanted to spend his day off out in the nature.  
It had been too long since he simply marched off into the wild the last time and today, he wanted to sit down on a beautiful glade and let his mind drift. Dick hadn't even noticed that his sons and the car were gone, he was probably still asleep or was already drinking again.

The black haired boy shook his head, he didn't want to think about this man now. He shouldered his small black backpack with a bottle of water, a snack and the book that he had to read for school and began to walk into the woods.  
It took him a quite while until he was certain in which direction he wanted to go, but if his sense of orientation was not mistaken around here was running a small river, which also flowed through Forks and the thought of sitting at the shore and just watch as the waves sounded very tempting.

Helios tried to go as quiet as possible while dodging roots and bushes, since he was there because of the calm, and the animals would surely be grateful if he would not disturb them more as he already did. After some time, about an hour away from the car, he heard the noise of running water, just a bit further to the left than expected.  
The direction in which he walked was quickly corrected and frankly, the boy was looking forward to the sight, but when he broke through the line of trees and landed in a clearing, the picture before him was anything but pleasant. On the grass were several deer, motionless and probably pretty dead, if he wasn't mistaken.  
Slowly, cautiously, yet curiously he went on, as he looked around carefully. The animals did not seem to have been killed by an animal, since the wounds they showed were way too small and there were too many cadavers. Wolves and bears would chase one, maybe two of them, but not five. Hadn't he seen the little blood-stained spots on their bodies, the teenager would have thought that all of them had eaten a poisonous plant and died. What the hell was going on?

His head whipped around at a little cracking sound in the woods and he felt his heart leap into his throat, even as he tried to convince himself that there was nothing around, that that, what had killed the animals would have caught him long ago when it still was close. The next crack was not far away, and his body tensed up without his conscious, ready for a fight-or-flight response.  
But what he had in no way expected, was the man who just emerged from the bushes. "Dr. Cullen? What are you doing here?" He asked more than baffled and the doctor seemed be just as surprised as he heard the question. "I could ask you the same, Helios." The blonde said with a smile, but his smile disappeared when he discovered the animals. "What's going on here?"  
The boy shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I have no idea ... But I'm not sure if I want to know," he muttered. "And I just like taking a walk in the woods, do you have a problem with that?"

After a last, thoughtful glance at the carcasses Carlisle smiled at him and shook his head. "Of course not, I was just wondering why you drive all the way out here when you could simply walk out the door at home and would be in the woods," the man explained and took a few steps in Helios direction.  
"Simply because I thought I would be on my own here. I don't like having people around when I try to relax." This all-too-honest answer caused his opposite to chuckle with a small shake of his head. "Well this is a logical explanation. Still, I'd feel more comfortable if I could escort you back to your car. Something out here seems more than strange."

With that the doctor nodded in the direction of the dead animals and looked at Helios expectantly, who was busy trying to keep himself from whining and crossed his arms across his chest. "But I don't want to go back yet," said the black haired boy like a stubborn child.  
But then he looked over his shoulder and a shiver ran down his spine. Even if he normally wanted to be alone, it would be quite scary if he would go on alone. "But ... if you want to, you could just come with me." he suggested instead, which was accepted, to his surprise, with a smile and a nod.

A little hesitant he shuffled on his feet, until he realized how stupid that probably looked and he pulled himself together, stammered a "Um ... then let's go" and ran with shame reddened cheeks in the direction in which he was going before, back into the forest.  
A part of him was hoping that the man changed his mind, that he perhaps didn't mean it that way or thought Helios would back down, but shortly afterwards he heard footsteps right beside him and as he glanced to his side, he met the eyes of a smiling Carlisle.  
Quickly and highly embarrassed Helios snapped his eyes forward again, the blush on his cheeks somehow getting even darker, especially after a small, hardly restrained laughter was heard.

Probably to help the boy out of his misery, his companion cleared his throat and asked, "How's the injury? Do the painkillers help?" Too embarrassed to respond verbally, Helios nodded and was silent for a moment before he said, "You know, I'm fine by my own, you really don't have to come with me, Dr. Cullen."  
Surprised, he stopped when the man beside him had and had put a hand on his shoulder. "Helios, I said, I want to go with you. You really don't have worry because if it would bother me, I wouldn't have offered it, but simply let you go. And please, call me Carlisle, we are not at the hospital."  
A bit embarrassed, the boy pouted and hesitated for a moment, uncertain how he should respond to that before he said, almost defiantly: "Only if you drop that stupid formal way you talk to me, I'm younger than you."  
Chuckling, the doctor dropped his hand and started walking again, which forced Helios to move again. "Courtesy is not a question of age, which many unfortunately forget. Just because someone is older or younger than you, it doesn't mean that you should be more or less polite." He said, then nodded ahead. "Look, over there is the river."


	5. Chapter 4

I know most of you thought I'd never update the story, but here it is. The new chapter. I'm curious what you think about it. Let me know in the comments. Those motivate me a lot ;)

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Maybe Carlisle had made a mistake and the boy was more interested in him than he had first thought, at least Helios was now quite embarrassed that the man accompanied him, but not in a purely negative way. His body language was giving him away.

The remains of the vampires´ hunt had left the younger one feeling quite uneasy and even if Helios himself was unaware about it, Carlisle felt how the boy slowly shifted closer with every step he took. So maybe the raven-haired boy was a bit embarrassed, but he wasn't upset about Carlisle following him. But that didn't tell the doctor if he had a crush on him or was just happy about not being alone in the woods right now.

The man sighed quietly, because even though he was able to spend a little time with the other one and maybe learn more about him, he already knew that everyone at home was going to question him why he had sent Alice, Jasper and Esme home while he stayed back with the human. And what he had done to him. Especially Emmett.

Alice practically squealed when she had spotted the boy, because she had seen him in her visions. Or at least that he was going to play an important role in their future, not him specifically, since somehow her abilities couldn't reach him. He was almost… like a blind spot. But not like the shapeshifters. When she tried to see his future, she saw her own. It was hard to explain.  
That's why she had been so happy to see him, so she finally had a face to his name and all the things Carlisle told his family about him. Which wasn't a lot, since Carlisle wasn't like a little schoolgirl that couldn't stop talking about her crush. Definitely not.  
This, the fact that Alice couldn't see him, made the boy even more fascinating.

When they finally reached the riverbank, Helios looked around a bit, before he carefully sat down on a rock, leaving enough space for Carlisle to sit next to him, if he wanted to. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here for a little while. It's just so… peaceful and after walking through the forest for more than an hour I'd really be happy about a little break. Besides, I was just trying to get to the river and now we're here.", Helios said slowly, and the vampire started nodding even before he had finished.  
"Of course.", the blond answered with a smile and took a few steps to sit down next to the boy. "This really is a good place to rest." 'And to start an innocent conversation to get some information.', he thought to himself and watched while the smaller one got a bottle out of his backpack and took a few sips, before offering it to the man.  
With a small thanks Carlisle shook his head and with a shrug Helios put the bottle back. Meanwhile the vampire watched the flowing water and waited for the younger one to start a conversation. He let his eyes wander over the surroundings, watching how the river softly washed over the gravel and looked up the stone cliff on the other side of the riverbank.

Most humans hated silence, especially when they sat next to someone they were interested in. Carlisle didn't have to wait long for Helios to clear his throat and then he asked carefully: "Are you often out here? I mean, walking through the woods? Hiking." It was obvious that the boy was nervous and insecure, so the vampire decided to help him out a bit.  
He leaned back on his arms, took a short breath and nodded. "Every few days. My job can get very exhausting and stressful, so it's good to have a bit peace out here. Especially when the sun is shining. Esme, my wife, and I always took our children for a little trip when they were in school, since a bright day is so rare out here, and we had to use every opportunity."

From the corner of his eye he could see how Helios frowned a bit. "If you… love such walks so much, why did you move to Forks?" That was quite a good question, if he had been a human, and the small smile that always graced his face when Carlisle was near the boy grew a bit.  
"Because of Esme. She grew up not far from here and she wanted to come back. What about you? I guess you won't stay here after high school, will you?" It was kind of a risky question, since it was a bit personal, but he wanted to know if Helios would allow him a glimpse in his life, or if he would react as if he was asked about his father.

But instead of closing up a radiating grin spread on the boy's face and he shook his head. "No, I've actually got a letter from Yale. It's not a real acceptance, but if my grades stay as good as they are and I reach 90 points at their exam, I'm not only in but I also get a full scholarship for the first year. And after that it depends on my grades there. But it would be enough to get away from here and I'll even be able to take Jamie with me!", he said, his chest puffed up proudly.  
Carlisle blinked a bit surprised. He knew that Helios wasn't stupid, but an offer like that… just emphasized that he was above average, that he managed to balance his studies with his difficult life without having to step back.  
For a moment he mulled over a thought, before he smiled again. "You know, I was there, too. I studied medicine, obviously, so if you want, I could help you studying for the exam. The entrance exam is almost the same for everyone, so it doesn't matter if you want to study something different. Have you already decided what your major will be?"

Now it was Helios' turn to look astonished and he starred at the doctor for a moment. "Is that… are you serious?", he asked so quietly that a normal human probably would have had some trouble with understanding him. But Carlisle only smiled wider and nodded, delighted with how hopeful the boy sounded. So, he stamped down the small idea to tease Helios a bit and nodded. "Of course! I already said, I only offer things when I really mean them. So, your major?"  
A small shudder went through the body next to him, as if Helios had to forcefully hold himself back from ether screaming and squealing happily, jumping and dancing around or throw himself at the man for thanking him, even though Carlisle didn't know if he hold back because of his injuries or his… 'coolness'.  
"Honestly… I'm not quite sure yet.", he mumbled a bit embarrassed and looked to the side, while he whispered something that the vampire probably would have missed if it wasn't for his superhuman hearing abilities. "Thank you."


End file.
